SC seeks police explanation on midnight action against Ramdev

The Supreme Court on Monday sought clarification from Delhi Police on the midnight crackdown on yoga guru Ramdev and his followers at the Ramlila ground during their anti-corruption agitation.

A bench of justice BS Chauhan and justice Swatanter Kumar specifically asked the police to explain by Friday the reasons for not waiting till the morning. “Explain whether the use of force was justified? What were the circumstances which led to the action and why the police could not wait till morning to ask the people to leave the venue,” the bench said.

The direction came after senior counsel Ram Jethmalani submitted on behalf of Bharat Swabhiman Trust headed by Ramdev that the midnight crackdown during the intervening night of June 4 and 5, 2011 was an attempt to crush the peaceful protest.

He compared the incident with the atrocities during the Nazi era in and accused Union home minister P Chidambaram of being responsible for the crackdown in which a woman died and several others were injured.

“Are we living under dictatorship or a Nazi rule that Ramdev shall not be allowed to carry out his protest and will not be allowed to stay in Delhi ?” Jethmalani asked.